Trial and Error
by Ref1ection5
Summary: Kuroko and colleagues works at a small independent company that is currently hired by this human research lab. They have to talk to patients. The experiments live in isolation rooms and are sectioned off from contact except for anyone across the hall. Kuroko is in charge of group 603 and one day gets news that he doesn't like, and gets an idea that could be deadly. various ships AU
1. Trial 1

**_Quick Note: This is an AU that will have various ships. Be free to comment ones that you would like to see. I might use them if i like the prospect of it in the story. _**

**Full description, if you don't need it continue on. If you need it, here you go.**

** Kuroko and colleagues works at a small independent company that is currently working at this human research lab. They are sworn to secrecy that they can't tell anyone of what goes on there, and they have no choice but to accept. Their job, they have to talk to patience, gauge their mental states, and give them personal contact. The 'experiments' live in isolation rooms and they can't really see anyone, but they often talk to the people in the cells next door or across from them. What happens when Kuroko is assigned to group 603 and works with them for a while. Just as he is getting use to it, he is hit with news he doesn't like, what happens when he gets an idea that could possibly be deadly for him and the people around him.**

* * *

_A close friend of mine once told me something. 'You must be the change you wish to see in the world. Mahatma Gandhi.' At first I didn't understand what he meant, but with his sudden disappearance one day left me to rethink this quote. At first I didn't know what he meant by telling him this; it seemed just like one of the things he liked to mention while talking about a topic. _

_Even now Kuroko had no clue how he should have actually replied besides the, "That's really nice quote." Though it was many years ago, at times it kept him awake at night and kept him starting at the ceiling. He couldn't remember his face anymore; he could only remember the male wearing his favorite red and grey hoodie on cold days, and his voice. This made him feel slightly guilty._

Even now he recited the quote, as he walked down the white hallway, his feet hitting the equally as white tile floors. He looked around the familiar facility and let out a silent sigh; his hands tucked into his sweatshirt pockets. He traced the iPod he had in his pocket silently remembering the work notes he had on the item.

"Who will I be talking to today?" Kuroko asked a taller man and looked a taller man in a white lab coat. He glanced in Kuroko's direction before flipping through the papers before pulling out a white one from the pile of multi-colored ones. The older man read it quickly before handing it to him, and he gladly took it.

"It seems you are assigned another level up Kuroko-san, though I must warn you that you might be talking to the person longer. There is a possibility they will put up a struggle when they see you come in. There will be a guard stationed at each end of the halls, if they cause a struggle just pipe up and they will make it your way. You have what the receptionist gave you at the desk today right?"

Kuroko took in all the information and looked around at the other cells on the third floor. If he remembered correctly Kagami had this floor today, and he had the top floor. Looking back up at the older man he nodded and pulled the pistol from the waistband of his pants. His build was small enough and his clothes were baggy enough where you couldn't tell he had one. "Yea," he said pulling the clip out and then checking the bullets before putting it back in.

"Good, we just want to take precautions just in case something does happen. We wouldn't want you to be injured on the job." The man was acting as professional as he could, but Kuroko knew that he was hired just so they didn't have to talk to the experiments they were testing on, in fear of, 'Becoming attached' to the experiments. To be honest they weren't as much experiments, but actual people. Kuroko could barely stomach being in this place and around these assholes for what he did now, their cruel treatment of other human beings.

"This is where I leave you," the man started his babbling again and Kuroko broke his daze as he looked from the man and then to the stairway. "Two flights and it will the room said on the paper." With a nod Kuroko typed in the pass code to the stairs into the number pad; there were clunks of tumblers unlocking the heavy door before the green light flicked on and Kuroko pulled it open. He let out a sigh as he pulled the door open and started up the stairs. He looked down at the paper and recited the name out loud. "404," he murmured to himself.

"Good luck with him," a familiar voice piped in and Kuroko looked up and saw Takao heading down the stairs. A piece of paper peaked from his pocket and he waved at him. Kuroko of course waved back.

"I thought that you had today off Takao-kun." He said stopping on the landing between the two flights of stairs.

Takao did the same and grinned at Kuroko. "I just got done with number 406, and I was told he is one of the tamest people on that floor." Kuroko nodded and looked at his own paper. "I got called in due to them being 'short staffed,' but you know my insight on that sack of crap." Takao grinned and Kuroko couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Everyone in our work knows your opinion Takao-kun, but you should get going if you want to salvage your weekend." Nodding they went their separate ways, though something paused Kuroko on the stairwell. He glanced over the railing and at Takao who was making his way quickly down the stairs.

"Takao-kun," his voice echoed down the stairwell, and the patter of feet stopped before Takao leaned over the railing and looked up at him.

"Yea?" The question echoed up to him and Kuroko gripped the railing as he leaned over the railing slightly more.

"Don't raise any suspicions, otherwise you might get moved to another floor, you're a counselor, not Loki." A smirk came to Takao's face as he started to laugh at the comment. Kuroko smiled slightly before the waved goodbye one last time before Kuroko made his way up the stairwell.

Kuroko opened the door and instantly was greeted by a burly guard who simply nodded at him, though the guard seemed less than pleased to see him, so his only guess could have been Takao making a ruckus.

Walking down the hallway he looked at the number plates above the doors for room 404. The plates continued to drift into the high 300s before he finally found the 400s after a long ten minutes of aimless wandering. Even if the doctor said that there would be two guards at the end of every hallway. This was an insanely large floor, and two guards at every hallway end was quite a fib he was told.

There was some chatter between people in cells across the hall, but their conversations never went silent as he passed by. They didn't notice him, not many people did. Takao was one of the handful of people that noticed him upon first glance. That made him mildly happy that some people noticed him.

Even just now there was a conversation in the early 400's block he silently made his way to room 404. As he appeared in the front of the door is when one side of the conversation went silent. The red head hadn't noticed him till he was right there at the door.

"Akashi-cchi has a visitor?" Someone a few doors down asked. Kuroko glanced over to see a flash of blonde hair in the window.

This would be the first time Aka-chin has someone to directly talk to." A lazy tenor voice added a small mutter into the conversation this was a bit weird that so many people noticed him, but of course it wasn't right away.

Glancing at the sheet of paper, he tried to decipher the combination. Experiment number: 240A-6938-0156-9S. 'Every third number' he thought to himself as he tucked the paper away. 0319 he pushed into the number pad. The green light flashed before the door knob unlocked and he walked through the door. As he walked into the room, the heavy door clunked behind him and he was in the room with the read head.

He didn't seem to be doing much; he seemed quite bored laying there on the bed, though his eyes never left him. The red head seemed to be calm, yet on high alert with him now in the room.

"Do you want to talk in private, or let your buddies out here us talk?" Kuroko asked like he did with every other person. A flash of curiosity glinted in those red eyes before the same calm seriousness covered it.

"If you wouldn't mind, I would like to talk in private." The mannerism was a slight surprise to Kuroko, but he nodded and walked back over to the door. He tugged at the clear plastic sheet of Plexiglas that slid over the window. That was the thing that completely soundproofed the room.

After doing that minimal task, he turned around and looked at the red head that hadn't moved an inch this whole time. "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya; it's a pleasure to meet you." His usual starting line as he leaned up against one of the cement walls.

"If you are going to relay what I say to you to the doctors you can just leave now." Immediately another change in mannerism left Kuroko to pause for a brief second. He nodded slowly, to catch the stranger's attention.

"I understand your concerns but I promise you that what you say to me will be confidential, and if you don't believe me." He continued pulling the gun from his waistband and throwing it across the room. "Shoot me."

For a while there was no change, and the atmosphere went thick with unnamed thoughts and tension. Kuroko just sat there leaning against the wall and looked at the red head.

"Akashi Seijuuro," he finally spoke up, and Kuroko went to retrieve the gun. "That's pretty gutsy there Kuroko." The comment was tossed into the calming atmosphere.

"Proved my words didn't it?" he replied tucking it back into his pants.

"Weren't you the least bit worried I was going to actually shoot you?" Akashi asked, and patted the bed. For a moment he thought of staying where he was before he did accept the seat on the bed.

Kuroko shook his head and turned his body slightly so he was somewhat facing Akashi. "I wasn't, I knew you wouldn't shoot me." His voice didn't waver as he commented calmly.

Akashi rested his back against the wall. "How exactly did you come up with that theory?" He asked and as Kuroko turned his head to face him their eyes met. He could see that even if he looked so, Akashi wasn't relaxed; he was ready for a confrontation.

"I have talked with many people," he started setting the gun on the floor hoping to put the other at ease. "It gets boring talking to the same people over and over again. Not to mention your friends outside mentioned you never had a visitor like me." Kuroko then pulled something from his pocket and set it on the bed. Akashi seemed curious on why he had the item.

"That is some quick thinking Kuroko." The remark was said as if he impressed the other. Akashi then picked up the deck of cards he had set on the bed a moment before.

Kuroko had been told before that all the experiments here knew the outside world. They all had gotten pulled into here for various reasons: debt, poor, orphaned, abducted, betrayal, abandoned. All of those reasons shocked Kuroko when someone he was talking with told him this, but slowly it made sense. They were isolated and experimented on, making them hate human contact and not wanting any until they got over the fact that this was their life now. Of course this whole story was told by an experiment that had chatted with and not a doctor.

"I assumed that would entertain you when you get bored." Kuroko said referring to the cards. They were a cheap deck, but cards nonetheless.

Akashi gave a small nod and took the cards out of the box. "Is this all you do, just give a gift?" Akashi asked the methodical shuffling of the deck ensued. "And then leave us to the company of whom we can talk too just outside our door?" Authority was thick in the red head's voice as their eyes met again. A shiver ran the path of Kuroko's spine and left him chilled.

"No," he started glancing down at the deck of cards. "I will come by once or twice a week so we can talk, play cards, relieve you from boredom for an hour or two. I don't just up and leave after giving something to someone." This wasn't the first time he had to explain this. "So whatever you want to talk about sat it, because it is confidential between you and me." Kuroko finished and looked at Akashi a bit longer before he looked round the dull small room.

Silence ensued but it wasn't like he didn't see that coming, instead he just sat there in silence waiting for something to be said. Trust was something earned, so he sat there and thought of what he could do to earn his new patience's trust.

"The paper," Akashi started making Kuroko glance over. "If you read me what is on the paper in your pocket, then I will believe you."

This was something new, but he could see why, Akashi need collateral to trust him. Slowly he pulled the paper from his pocket and then gazed at the relaxed stance, he could almost see bit of trust in that position.

"Experiment number 240A-6938-0156-9S, Name Akashi Seijuuro, Current age is 23 years old, Birthday December 20, Experiment chemicals C71, XP6, QZ106, Group number 6O3, Age upon coming into the program 17, Cooperativeness Neutral, Danger level 4, room number 404, Appearance About 5'8'' with red hair and varying states of eye color most common hetrochromia red and yellow, status to be announced."

Kuroko listed off, his mind stopping itself at the appearance part, weren't his eyes just red? Despite his thoughts the words slipped through his lips like silk and he didn't stumble once. It was then that Akashi finally said something that wasn't of convicting or anger.

_In hindsight I wouldn't have seen what I was going to do coming._

* * *

Kuroko walked into the large building on Wednesday morning with a few of colleagues. Kagami was the first one through the door, followed by Takao and then himself. Of course he was the one to shut the door behind them before they were blasted with a complimentary gust of air. That was just the first procedure to remove anything that attached themselves to them during their trek outside. Other parts of the procedure consisted of questions such as: have you been around sick people, how many times did you sneeze and cough since you were here last, and have you been sick lately?

If you have been sick, you would have to go home for a week unpaid, if you had been around sick people, you either had to sanitize or go home for two days to see if you would catch it. It all depended on the illness you were exposed to. That was the cycle they went through every single day and after a while they got use to it.

They spoke to the receptionist, who was behind glass, their status of health. All of them answered the same mantra of 'No, a number between 1 and 5, and no. Once given the okay, Takao and Kagami were given sheets, but when it was his turn, she told him that Dr. Yamada wanted to talk to him. So he was forced to wait behind the glass for him. He sat in a cold steel chair and waited for the doctor to speak to him.

Through the past month he had gotten to know that block of 5 really well. Right after he started with Akashi, he got the papers for experiments in rooms 408, 406, 405, and 407. To put it another way, he got to council the whole experiment group 603. Their names are Kise Ryouta, Aomine Daiki, Murasakibara Atsushi, and once in a while he spot to Midorima Shintarou when Takao couldn't come to the job.

He found out the five of them were very different people. That was a given, but he was shocked at times that they even got along.

Kise Ryouta, he was around Kuroko's age much like the rest of group 603. He found the blonde to be quite talkative and friendly once he got use to you and trusted you. Like every other experiment he gladly took the cards and played a game of old maid with him. Often he let Kise talk, whether it was about his past, or some of the brutal things the doctors did, which he took note of. Somehow it seemed to be something that helped Kise vent and help him relax a bit more.

Aomine Daiki, they were the same age, but their statures varied greatly. Aomine and he got along surprisingly well. Their personalities clicked together, though Aomine was a bit more brash and honest. The cards were taken, but the fact that there weren't hot women on them disappointed him. The few stories Kuroko noted from Aomine were brutally honest and not lacking in detail, at times he couldn't help but cringe.

Murasakibara Atsushi, he was, in a lack of better words, a sloth-like giant. At a surprising 6 foot 10 inches, he was still the same as himself. At first he didn't believe it, but the way he seemed to be almost confirmed it. Sporting a very easygoing attitude, he refused to speak of what happened in those experimenting rooms. At one point he pushed a bit too much and as a result their session ended early. So he didn't push it anymore from that point they had many things they didn't agree on, but they got along. The pack of cards remained untouched, but they were accepted.

Midorima Shintarou was a tall make with green hair and glasses. Despite usually working with Takao, the two of them seemed to disagree on almost everything. Kuroko didn't blame him though; it was their personalities that seemed to clash. Yet that led to a different and more distant, vague trust that let them trust each other with pieces of various things. He managed to decipher that he was the son of a doctor and was looking forward to being one, till he was in here. The cards were begrudgingly accepted.

Akashi Seijuuro, they seemed to have a few things in common and they got along pretty well. They often chattered about mundane things such as books, how school was for them, and about what they did to him during the experiments. They would often play cards and talk about things on the outside world, even going into debates at times.

The conversations were really nice and he found himself enjoying work and looking forward to chatting with all of them

The doctor came in with a calm smile on his face. Instantly he got chills from that smile but didn't show it. "Kuroko-san, it's nice to see you again." The man greeted as he stood up from the cold chair. He didn't even remember this doctor, but he had to go with it.

"Glad to see you doing some fantastic work with group 603." He praised him, but didn't give him room to talk as he was ushered out of the glass enclosure. "Let's talk for a bit," the conversation fluidly continued with that phrase. He nodded as they walked down the desolate hallway. "Let me cut to the chase." The doctor said and caught Kuroko's attention. "Your work with 603 has improved their cooperative levels drastically. They are happier and are quite cooperative now. I am telling you now that next week you won't need to visit them anymore."

This caught Kuroko off guard and he looked from the site in front of him to the doctor's smiling face. "Due to their levels rising, we can finish the experiment on them. We can't guarantee what their reactions will be to the last chemical, so it would be a liability for you to visit them and possibly get hurt." The doctor tried to tie up all his loose ends of the conversation with that last sentence and the only thing Kuroko could steel himself to do is nod.

"They are the most successful group so far compared to their friends in group 034 that had to be terminated." Ice crawled up his body starting at his toes. And icy regret that made his gut sink. It was his fault they would be experimented on again, and he could do nothing about it. This was the first time this had happened to him before the whole time he had been working at that facility.

_'__I caused them more pain,' _he thought in dismay as he nodded at what the doctor said.

"You have all of today to break them the news; they are in practice center 8." Doctor Yamada said and pointed down the hallway, that smile on his face quite sober at this point.

"All of them?" He asked knowing he had all their info pages in his pocket. The older man just smiled and nodded.

"Yup, all in one room, just as a treat so you can see how they work together." The doctor said before telling him the lock code and they went their separate ways. With a deep breath, he smelt the chemical cleaner and he wrinkled his nose before he walked down the hallway and towards practice center 8.

His eyes went from side to side as the doors counted up as the hallway seemed to endlessly continue. The rooms must have been large if the doors were that far apart, well he supposed if they were called 'practice rooms' it was probably to test out their abilities.

To be honest, he was never told what their abilities were, and he started to get a bit curious. He could only imagine what all of them would have since they are so different. Nothing would come to his imagination as he made it to door eight. 0108, he typed fluidly into the key pad before it buzzed and the tumblers unlocked before he was let it, and the door locked behind him right away as he entered.

He saw the band of brightly colored 603 members in this large room. With the noise of the door behind him, they all noticed him almost instantly.

"Kuroko-cchi," Kise was the first one to speak up and a smile shone bright on the blonde's face. Everyone else threw a greeting his way as he walked closer to them.

"What are you doing here Tetsu?' Aomine asked in his usual slightly lazy and rumbling voice. He didn't know a definitive answer himself, so he shrugged.

"I don't know all I was told was that this is a chance to see how you all work together." He replied calmly and looked at the taller male.

"So you do council all of us," Murasakibara stated running one of his large hands through his purple hair. Didn't he tell them this? He thought he did.

He nodded and patted the pocket that had the papers. "Yes, I do for the most part." The answer seemed to be accepted just by the slight gleam in Murasakibara's eyes.

A buzz resounded through the room and Kuroko was slightly surprised at it and how shrill how it seemed to be. He looked around the large white room slightly confused. Suddenly the buzzing was replaced by the quieter click of an intercom system. Hello group 603, long time no see."

Kuroko glanced at the others and saw them all silently standing there, and listening almost intently to the voice above them. "It's been a while since you saw each other in person, about a year now stuck in your confinement rooms." The voice rambled on with crisp articulation and each word seemed to have some sort of meaning to it. Even if it seemed just like useless babbling.

"It also seems that you have a visitor in the room as well, nice to meet you Kuroko." That greeting sent fire down his spine and he shuddered slightly just at the venom that hid behind the mannerly welcome. "Though, it would be a shame if something seemed to happen to Kuroko, wouldn't it?"

The mannerisms were suddenly pushed aside and what was said sent fire down his spine and the hair on his arms stood up. He glanced around the room and at all of the plain walls as well as he glanced at the others, who didn't seem so pleased at what the voice said.

"You have two minutes to get ready and figure out what you're up against." There was a small pause before a chuckle. "Oh, and Kuroko, the door is shut down and you can't get out till you figure out the new pass code. The wave will end when Kuroko figures it out."

A loud booming click resounded and for a moment they were left in silence.

"In order of visit who was given what symbol?" Akashi asked, and just like they started. They all said around what time they were visited and then started to name off what they were given in order. This in itself confused Kuroko.

"F," Midorima stated quickly.

"8," Kise was quick to follow.

"L," Akashi added.

"1," Murasakibara toned in.

"0," Aomine stated last.

"There was a short bout of silence and he could almost see the gears working in their heads to solve this problem and prepare. They resembled a team. Knowing each other's strengths and putting it to good use. He could see the chemistry in the cooperation.

"I don't know that code," Kise added and glanced around with a serious look. Everyone agreed and Kuroko's mind couldn't help but reel at what the code might be. He had heard a few of them and seen some sheets with codes on them as well with his time he has spent working there.

F8L10, F8L10, why did that code sound so familiar, he had heard it before, but where? It was when Kuroko recited it a few times that it started to slowly seem less hazy.

_It was just a normal day as he would put it. It was near when he started the job, just a few months in, and he was walking into the building for a late council session since this person was quoted as a more 'nocturnal' person. Not that Kuroko minded at all, he liked the night air and how the temperature dropped from the blazing to just right. _

_The complementary gust of air that assaulted him as he walked through the door cooled him off a bit more, and left his hair a little worse for wear as usual. He walked over to the desk and spotted the middle aged lady that usually sat at the desk at night unlike her daughter who worked days. _

_The older lady's brown eyes glanced up at him and she gave him a warm smile before she went back to typing on the computer; her long fingernails making each key click with her delicate finger strokes. _

_ "__I forgot my sheet at work, could you possibly tell me the door code for Room 143." Kuroko spoke up as he made it to the desk. There was a pause of silence as the older woman nodded and scooted her rolling chair back a bit and went through the paper files. There was the fluttering of papers as the woman passed odd colored paper after odd colored paper. _

_ "__It seems that room 143 isn't available this evening, if you come in tomorrow." She said, and caught Kuroko off guard. For a moment silence permeated between them before he had formed a coherent question in his mind._

_ "__What do you mean not available?" His pale hands made their ways into his pockets as he looked at her then around the room. He didn't want to pressure her in any way, so he wouldn't stare her down. A small quiet hum entered the conversation over the hum of fans and sputters of air conditioning shutting down. _

_ "__I am afraid he has been F8L10," she said hesitantly and their eyes met again. Blue against brown, Kuroko opened his pale lips once more. "What does F8L10 stand for, I wasn't informed."_

It clicked and Kuroko's gut dropped to his toes. "Failed experiments," he stated and looked at them with that calm expression he forced on his face. All of them seemed to cease up slightly at those words.

You need to find that pass code quick." Aomine said gruffly and glanced around.

"Aomine is right," The two with what would seem like quite conflicting personalities agreed, and he could only nod at what both Aomine and Midorima said. He didn't even know where to start; he didn't know how he was going to figure out the pass code.

"Is this your first time in this room?" The question slipped from his mouth as he looked around the room. He had gotten a few silent nods and that was good, a small bit of progress was still progress.

"Is anything out of place or different?" He finished what he was getting too quickly before his phone buzzed in his pocket. Jumping in surprise, he pulled out his phone from his pocket.

"They change the room every time," Murasakibara started as he saw who it was calling him. Kasamatsu was calling; he usually didn't call unless it was some pressing issue.

"Excuse me, I need to answer this." He said backing up from the group. He could only see the various expressions of overall seriousness.

"Now isn't the time Kuroko," Akashi stated and Kuroko glanced at the red head before nodding. There really wasn't much else he could say as he went to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kuroko where are you right now?" Kasamatsu asked in his normal and calm tone of voice. This might be a longer conversation than their usual few words and off they went."

"I'm in the EC, why?" There was some silence over the receiver before Kasamatsu sighed.

"You aren't scheduled to work at the EC today; you're supposed to be at the office with Himuro and I." Shit, he totally forgot, at that moment did he feel stupid.

"I'm sorry; I will come back once I am done here." He vouched finding that he had his hands a bit full at the moment to actually go immediately. Though Kasamatsu did accept that answer and they said their salutations. Kuroko put his phone in his pocket and focused on the challenge at the moment.

He glanced back to group 603 and saw they were talking things over and not paying attention to him. This gave Kuroko a chance to see how they worked together. When they were talking to him, he didn't get much of a glance, but now he could depict a few things.

Just from how they were chatting and their face expressions they had varying opinions but worked together despite that, they all seemed to view each other as equals, and that they knew each others' strengths.

He thought out all his assumptions and categorized what he was seeing till a loud buzzing sounded once more and broke his concentration. The noise was shriller than the first one and Kuroko covered his ears at the noise.

He couldn't understand how the other five could stand the noise, but he didn't ask. Kuroko didn't have time too as he heard some loud thumps from some of the hundreds of panels that spanned the room. His cerulean eyes gazed quickly around the room she he could try and see what was making the noise, yet nothing quivered.

The five didn't seem to be taking a chance, after the rattling started; the five broke from their group and spread out through the room. They were still in a group, but now each of them had sufficient space to fight. The two that were standing closest to him were Aomine and Kise.

He didn't know why they would, but he could only guess that they were most trusted in keeping him safe. If that was even one of their priorities. It was in that moment that he realized he didn't know a thing about them and their outside life. He only knew of the alter-ego that was trapped inside this hell hole, not them. They rarely enlightened him on their past life or what happened to them to how they got in there. He didn't know if they had siblings, if their families were looking for them, if their lovers had moved on, nothing. The papers in his pocket never felt heavier than in that moment. All he knew about them were what they told him, and what little info the sheets provided for him.

The rattling grew thunderous and the sounds echoed in the spacious room. They seemed to have their eyes peeled for something, but from their reactions all of them had yet to know what.

Kuroko decided to look around as well, keeping his eyes peeled for anything. He may not have been like them, but he assumed an extra set of eyes would always be appreciated. The noise grew louder and louder to the point that Kuroko thought his eardrums were going to burst. He covered both ears tighter as he glanced up due to his neck cramping up with how tense he was.

That was when he reacted. His hands moved from his ears and the noise assaulted him and almost made tears prick in his eyes. Surely he would go deaf because of this sound. His pale hands gripped the gun that always seemed to be in his waistband because they insisted that group 603 were dangerous. His finger twitched violently as he pointed skyward, adrenaline pumped violently through his veins, and his skin tingled as if his nerves were set ablaze.

That one gunshot was much louder than those thundering sounds, for it started up what made his gut churn. The shot was deadly as well, the body that was once attached to the ceiling and right above head now plummeted to the ground. He jogged out of the way and glanced back to see the others doing the same.

If they had stayed in those spots a second longer they would have been ambushed and him, dead. A few ceiling tiles were pushed aside, and showed the narrow spaces above the ceiling. That is why they didn't see anything, but heard everything.

"Nice eye, Tetsu," Aomine said and he glanced over at the taller male before there was a clatter of feet on the ground. Seven stood there and eyed their opponents, while one laid there in a pool of her own blood. Looking at the sight made Kuroko queasy and he paid attention to the seven who were standing there, like statues. What were they doing?

'This isn't going to go well,' he thought to himself as he kept his hands firmly on his pistol.

* * *

**A/N: Hello, and thank you for reading the first chapter! I was planning on doing this after I finished up Destiny's Fires, but alas this idea wouldn't leave me alone. This will probably be put on the back burner till i do finish Destiny's Fires, or i might alternate updates between the two, but i don't want to leave this one on this cliff hanger for long. I just felt as if this chapter would be ungodly long if i kept going without a cut.**

**Oh look i am rambling! XD**

**Thank you for reading and see you next update!**


	2. Test 1

It was right after that thought when the attacks started, 6 against 7, with him being a human and technically making the fight 5 against 7 if you wanted to do it on the base of experimented people. Even if the latter was preferred, he did have a slight advantage with the gun he held in his hand. For once he had to thank Kasamatsu and Kagami for insisting he learn how to weld a gun, but that wasn't exactly the thing running through his mind at that moment.

'It's a numerical code of four number pass code, like the rest of the others in the building. I have to figure out through their fighting, and when I do, I can only assume that their fighting will end quicker.' He recalled as he kept an eye on all of the opponents; at the moment, that was the best he could do, just keep an eye on the others so they didn't catch him off guard. 'I am the weakest link after all.'

Kuroko slowly took a few steps back as his mind ran a bit wild. He had to keep an eye on his back while trying to figure out a code and the code was the most important part of this equation. He glanced over at everyone as they fought against the failed experiments. It seemed as though the fights were even just at the first glance, but it could also be that they don't know their opponent's fighting abilities well enough. Though there was one mindset that would change the shift of this whole fight.

'The failed experiments have nothing to lose,' Kuroko thought to himself as he watched the fighting. The failed experiments seemed to just throw themselves at their opponents guns blazing and unwilling to give up until they won, or died. He knew that no matter what it would bring challenges and very spontaneous attacks and would be very challenging.

'I need to figure out this code quick,' again that thought popped into his mind as he glanced at the door. What was the code though? That was the big question. There had to be a hint somewhere around the room, where it was though was the big question. They wouldn't just have this whole scenario without any sort of way to get the code.

"Kurokocchi," a voice he could only recognize as Kise called out to him and he broke from his thoughts. He turned to look at the other but found out what the other was trying to warn him about. His heart leapt into his throat as he saw one of the opponents headed right towards him quickly. Upon seeing this, Kuroko started to back away quickly from the advances.

Instead of taking that shot when he could right away, he glanced at the others to make sure they were out of the way. He didn't know why but that was first instinct, but it did it and he jeopardized himself. Though in that instance he was very glad he did when he saw Kise chasing after the person and catching up quickly.

A shot rang out in the room, but instead of getting the person that was in front of him, he got the guy that was right behind Kise and attempting to sneak up on him. Everyone else seemed to be pretty busy with their opponents and wouldn't have made it in time. The shot was enough to distract that person for a second so he could retreat a bit before he got off another shot and killed the person.

Pain ran down his arm as he jerked backwards again. The person was nearly on top of him now and he knew the guy got him on the arm. 'Stupid, he's faster than you. My stamina sucks but I should have kept going at a quicker speed than what I was.' He chided himself as he cringed at the intense hot pain in his arm. The gun still remained firm in Kuroko's hand as he ducked away from the guy intent on hurting him.

The person didn't have any intent of stopping the pursuit either; Instead Kuroko had to get enough room between them to shoot a well aimed shot, but there was always a bit less room than what he needed. He was grateful that he was out of arm's length of the person. He needed help, but he could only guess that Kise got roped up with another person again.

"Ryouta," a voice snapped firmly and seemingly out of nowhere, and he knew it was Akashi's voice. Usually Akashi didn't address people by their first names, odd.

The person glanced back as if almost as a caution or in fear, but instinct drove Kuroko to veer out of the way and dodging to the side. He then sprinted to make distance between them, and when he turned to shoot the person he found himself not needing to.

'Heterochromatic eyes,' he remembered was on Akashi's paper, but maybe he was just seeing things, because the next moment they were back to red. Kuroko lowered his gun as he saw Kise engage in attack the person who was after him.

His heart thundered and felt like it was in his throat as he caught his breath. He kept the gun steady in his hands despite this as he watched his pursuer come to his timely and painful death.

"Wait Wait Wait."

* * *

Kuroko looked up from his lap and looked over at Takao, who was sitting on a chair backwards with his chin resting on the back. "And that is exactly around the time your mind goes blank?"

He nodded, "yes, that is exactly when I blacked out. Except I didn't exactly blackout, because I had figured out the code and was standing in the doorway." Kuroko heard a cluck and looked over at Kasamatsu who was sitting in his desk chair.

"It sounds to me that guy with the heterochromatic eyes has something to do with it." Kasamatsu started and leaned back in his chair. "That was your first time seeing his eyes like that right? It was only for a moment too." Kuroko slowly nodded and confirmed it to the other and let him continue on with the theory.

"I'm guessing that he could do that due to what they did to him, one thing they were successful in doing to him with their crazy experiments either that, or it was the EC's doing, but I'm guessing that isn't where this whole story ends is it?" It seemed that in return that commented baited for him to continue. Slowly he nodded and thought back to where he left off.

"When my memories come back to me, I am still standing in the room with the door propped open with my leg…"

* * *

"That was pretty close," Midorima stated and looked at no one in particular and Kuroko nodded and hand his left hand over the gash in his right arm. His arm was stained in blood along with this hand and he would get his arm patched up in a moment.

"My question is why did they even bring Kuroko-cchi into the room?" Kise asked and right afterward he felt his gut sink. Kuroko nodded and looked at the five as they stayed a bit of distance away from him.

They had a thing on their wrist that prevented them from going past a few sensors or else they would get instantly knocked out by the bracelet. That was the only way he could keep the door propped open like he did.

"They let me into the room because I have some news told to me that I want to tell you guys as well." He replied and almost instantly all attention was on him.

'Okay Tetsuya, you can't keep this from them. You already have been pondering the worst situation possible and you can only go from here.' He thought to himself as he took a silently deep breath and tightened his grip on his wound.

"After this week you guys will no longer have me as a your 'counselor.' It seems as they see that I should tend to other people and from what I have been told you guys have 'improved." The last word was the hardest one to say.

They knew exactly what he meant by improved and that is why it felt like lead when he was forced to say it. He watched their expressions vary from hiding their surprise to utter surprise, anger, and why he could only tell was betrayal; the thing was that Kuroko felt as if he was betraying them.

Kuroko was surprised at this feeling, he knew that he would get pulled from this group 603 eventually and it was required for them not to grow too close to them, so why did he feel this way. In that moment he felt like a complete idiot and he needed to push these pointless thoughts aside.

The air suddenly left his lungs and bright spots danced in his vision. His cerulean eyes widened as he came face with a pissed Aomine. Usually the blue haired male wouldn't do this sort of thing, no matter how hot headed he got at times. Kuroko coughed as he was being pinned to the door by his shoulder and the front of his shirt.

"So was this the plan all along? Just to gain the trust of all of us and then stabbing us in the back?" Aomine asked in a very hostile tone, Kuroko was pinned to the door and he coughed a few times as air started to get through to his lungs.

"Aomine-kun, I don't want you to get in trouble for doing this, please let me go." He started looking at the other as his arm throbbed in pain. The expression that crossed over the other's face the moment Kuroko said that was of the still present anger, and disgust. The look made him shiver slightly. 'I need to explain myself.'

"I swear that wasn't my intention at all. I'm not on their side. I didn't tell them a single thing." He then dared to meet the other's eyes. "I promise I will do something about this. I don't like it either, I don't like this place." Kuroko spoke in a quieter voice that the microphones would have a hard time picking up over the buzz of the barrier warning the people in charge of the room that it was crossed.

Aomine's expression didn't falter a bit, but he could tell that he was starting to go to fall asleep because the grip on him became lax. "I promise," he repeated as he slipped out of the other's grip and led him out of the doorway. He didn't want Aomine to get in more trouble than what he would already, so he assisted the other out of the doorway and towards the barrier again till someone else took his spot.

He glanced at the other four, and they were looking either at him or going to help Aomine over the barrier again despite the own risk of them passing out. Each look left an impression on his mind and he could tell that they still didn't quite believe him, yet that gave away that they heard him.

'I will do something about this,' he reassured himself as he grabbed the doorknob and shut the door behind himself. Blood clung to the doorknob even as he let go. He was going to walk to the front desk, when his foot bumped into something. He looked down and saw a medical kit.

He didn't hesitate for a moment and he grabbed it and unlocked the door again before he opened it and slid it into the room. He knew they had sustained a few wounds in their fights, and would need it. The kit skidded against the floor before crossing the barrier. Without looking at them, he shut the door again and made his way towards the front desk to get his arm patched up.

Kuroko covered the cut again with his hand as he briskly made his way down the white hallway. His gaze didn't falter from straight in front of him even as blood soaked his shirt and dripping onto the white floor.

"Excuse me," he spoke up as he stood two feet from the desk. The older lady jumped and looked at him before going pale as a sheet. She seemed to know exactly what he wanted as she dug under her desk and came up with a medical kit. He was handed the small plastic box and he thanked her before sitting his butt in a chair and the medical kit in the chair next to him.

He removed his hand from his wound and he slowly peeled the sleeve of his t-shirt up and away from the wound. He kept his jaw tense as he did this, the pain radiating through his arm. Blood still oozed from the wound and dripped onto the chair.

* * *

"I think we get the gist of what happened from there onwards." Kagami interrupted with a huff as he looked over at Kuroko from at his desk and the paperwork he had been idly working on through the whole story.

"Though I am curious on what you think of doing since you promised to do something for them." Himuro said as he walked back into the room from closing up the front door for the day. The black haired male was leaning against the doorway. Kuroko took that moment to take a sip of his lukewarm coffee. His blue eyes gazed down into the brown liquid before he looked back up.

"I'm going to get them out of the EC," he spoke up. "I'm going to break them out." This would have been the perfect moment for a spit take if anyone would have been drinking anything, but their confused and surprised expressions showed their reactions clearly.

"You've got to be kidding me; you know how stupid that idea is? That place is built like a fortress." Kagami was the first to voice his disapproval and get over the initial shock. Kuroko looked at Kagami as he pushed away from his work desk.

"The only ways experiments get out of that building are in body bags or as ash." Himuro stated and Kuroko nodded.

"Even if anyone of us attempted that, we would be one of the first group of people they would suspect. I mean we are just a small company hired by them. Given there must be other companies like us, but it wouldn't take them long to narrow down the possibilities." Takao pitched in to show how that plan of his would have plenty of holes.

"We can all see why you would want to do it, I can almost guarantee that all of us have met one person in the EC that we would save if we could. If we could pull it off even a fraction of a chance then I personally would have done it long ago, but there are so many risks that go along with trying to break them out."

Kasamatsu put his one cent into this conversation and Kuroko nodded at all they were saying without interrupting. It was the least he could do because they let him run on about this whole story. He nodded at what they were saying and once they were done expressing their concerns he collected what he was thinking so he could say it.

"I understand the consequences that can come with this and how hard it would be to pull it off, but it is something that, if done correctly, could succeed. It would take a lot of planning I don't have a doubt about that, but if we planned so we did have a back-story told by friends and family that would cover one major suspicion." Kuroko started sitting up in his chair.

"For example, we could say that we met up at one of our houses to celebrate the anniversary of this placing opening, and got drunk so we stayed there the whole night." The blue haired male couldn't help but given an example as his hands stayed clasped together and in his lap. He could see all the skeptical looks on their faces and for a moment Kuroko paused to think of another example off the top of his head.

"Or that we were meeting some friends who moved away and they were staying a few days in town before moving away." He gave another quick basic example. "There aren't cameras all over the place, we could pull it off, and they even said that surveying their employed companies or employees with cameras was guaranteed or we could go to court and other places for breach of contract. Not to mention immediate cut of ties to the company. Give them the paper work back and they won't bother us anymore."

"How do you know that they don't have cameras and surveillance equipment and just told us that stuff so we have our guard down and they can expose us?" Kagami asked still quite visibly skeptical on the matter. Kuroko leaned back in his chair and looked at his high school friend. He knew that the red head was just being cautious and there was a good reason to be, but Kuroko couldn't help but want to take that chance.

"If they do, then we take pictures of the surveillance equipment, unplug it, gather evidence and take it to the court or police and show them the breach of contract." Their eyes met before he looked away. "Besides, why else do you think I would bring this up to you guys if I wasn't going to ask for your opinions and help? Plus, bringing a bunch of unknown people into one tiny apartment for them to stay for a while is pretty odd." He shamelessly made that point, telling them that he was really deadset on doing this.

"Plus, if you guys did help me, it would spread out evenly where you just would have to help me with one of them each." He commented and finished his points, and it of course led into thick silence. He didn't mind it at all, and ran a hand through his hair and took this bit of silence to calm down a bit.

"It's very rare for you to get so dedicated and worked up about something." Takao was the one to break the silence a small smile on his face as he straightened up and decided to sit on the chair correctly.

"Is it because you don't break your promises?" Himuro questioned still in the spot he has been in this whole time. It was more of a rhetorical question so the blue haired male simple shrugged.

"If we are going to consider this, we might as well meet one of the people who we will be saving." Kasamatsu spoke up again and looked directly at Kuroko before the black haired male rubbed the back of his neck.

Point given, Kuroko got up and walked over to his desk where the folded papers laid out on his desk. He then paused for a moment before he flipped the papers over and mixed up the order. "Come and pick one," Kuroko said, and backed away from the desk. There was a moment where no one moved to pick but eventually it was Himuro who threw caution to the wind and went to go pick someone. When he made it over to the desk a smile appeared on Himuro's face.

"Luck of the draw?" Kagami asked staring at the papers with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yep, see who you get." Kuroko replied before he walked away from his desk and went to straighten everything out. He walked into the break room right off the office and he put the chairs back where they belonged, or at least he started to.

"Wait, Midorima's involved in this?" Takao asked holding up two papers, one he guessed was the one he drew, and the other of Midorima. Silently he nodded and recalled that Takao was the counselor to Midorima.

"I suppose since you know Midorima if you want to consider helping with you chatting with him you can." Kuroko said and Takao chuckled and set one of the papers aside.

"I got taken off of Shin-chan's counseling two weeks ago, saying that I wasn't needed anymore." Takao said folding the information paper back up. This made the blue haired male pause before he started the faucet to wipe down the break room table. Kuroko looked up to see Takao leaning against the doorway.

"That is weird; I thought you were his permanent person." Kuroko commented scrubbing at some stains.

"I thought that too, they were real sudden with telling me, and it definitely caught Midorima off guard." There was a clatter behind him before the spritz sound of a spray bottle. Might as well be productive while chatting.

"I had to tell him too, and he kicked me out of his room." There was this sort of melancholy tone to Takao's voice and slowly he nodded. It suddenly made sense on why Midorima didn't seem surprised when he said this; he was one of the straightest faced ones when he did say that.

"He didn't react that much when I told the group today that I wouldn't be in charge of them." Kuroko commented starting on scrubbing down the microwave as Takao got the windows.

The sound of chatter in the other room and scrubs filled the quiet air. There definitely was something off about the atmosphere and Kuroko couldn't help but feel awkward as he continued to work.

"But, why not throw caution to the wind." Takao commented, and when Kuroko when to glance at the other, Takao had a grin on his face. "Besides, I've wanted to give that company a big 'fuck you' for a while now."

"Everyone has," Kasamatsu commented as he walked into the break room and pulled his coat from the back of one of the chairs. This made Kuroko smile slightly and Takao grin more, if that was even possible. A smile pulled on Kasamatsu's face for a second before he tucked a paper into his coat pocket.

"I hope this plan doesn't blow up in our faces Kuroko," Kasamatsu said and made the younger male look over at him in slight surprise. "Even if it does, then I'm in. Who else is going to keep you guys in line." it was a light joke and it was taken kindly.

"I just hope that Kise Ryouta is a decent person." Was the last comment before the reminder to sign out before leaving tonight. The smile fell from Kuroko's face as he rinsed out the dirty cloth. 'They are all very nice guys, just troubled.' The thought popped into his head as he said goodnight to everyone before he headed home with one sheet left in his pocket.

* * *

"Kuroko, you're in charge of the main office today." Himuro called from the break room and the blue haired male looked from his desk and leaned back in his chair before stretching.

"Okay," he agreed a bit louder than his usual tone so the other could hear him. It was still early in the morning and not quite time for work to start, but it was quickly evident that Himuro didn't like being late and he liked having an early start to the day.

"Any suggestions for when I meet Murasakibara today?" Kuroko looked up from his monitor and watched the other walk out of the break room and right towards him. Kuroko paused for a moment in thought recalling all his encounters with Murasakibara.

"I wouldn't ask any question referring to the experiment rooms or what he is capable of, he will avoid those questions all together. Pick and choose your questions about the past; he is very...choosey when it comes to those questions." That was the one major thing he could recall with the purple haired giant. Himuro nodded receptively before he took a sip of whatever was in his mug this morning.

The door rang along with the clacking of boots against the rug and quiet grumbling from the sitting room. Kuroko stayed leaning back in his chair for a moment before he ran a hand through his hair. Himuro ducked out of the doorway and there was a muffled 'good morning,' to Kagami.

Kuroko jiggled his leg for a moment before he continued to do what he was typing out. His blue eyes remained glued to the screen, even as his leg jiggled. He was looking over the schedule for today and then at their personal notes before he made notes for himself on a separate document. Since the others were going to check talk with group 603 somewhere within their own schedules at the EC. They didn't have too many patients today, so he would be able to get some of the other work done on top of his usual job.

Not soon after Kagami, Kasamatsu and Takao walked in at the same chatting about something. They must have bumped into each other on their way to work at the train station. Hellos were tossed at the duo before Kuroko logged off the computer and grabbed some documents off his desk and his bangs fell into his face.

He walked out of the office room and brushed his blue locks from his face and turned off the light before shutting the door behind himself. Right off the office area was the lobby. Chairs sat against the wall in one corner, a table with magazines within reach, and the lobby desk sat against a wall right beside the hallway. He let out a small sigh and walked behind the lobby desk and set his papers into the file holder.

"We are headed out Kuroko, good luck today." Kasamatsu said and Kuroko looked up from the desk and nodded and gave a small wave.

"I should be wishing you four the good luck." He replied and Kasamatsu smiled slightly before they left out the front door, and Kuroko was left to open by himself. It wasn't a bad thing though.

* * *

Minor edits 11/1/15

A/N: Sorry for the long awaited update, but writer's block has hit me hard. I will be alternating updates of my fics until the one is done in a chapter or two, then my hard work is on this one. (till I get another idea that is). I am not an expert in any sort of laws and regulations, nor did I want to spend hours upon hours looking it up, so this only shows that is a work of fiction and not reality. (As if it wasn't obvious from the beginning.) Thank you for all of your wonderful Follows, Favorites, and Reviews they really give me motivation to keep going. Since no one answered for what ship they wanted in the first chapter, i'm taking the liberty of doing as I planned XD.


	3. Hypothesis

Kuroko sat at his desk and made notes of his last client and his troubles in his marriage. He jotted the last small note before he stood up and walked towards the front door. The sun was starting to set and it was time for closing. He was curious on why none of them had returned from their visits and let out a small hum as he flipped the sign and flicked the lock. He knew that one of them had the spare key so when they came back they could just let themselves in.

With that in mind, he walked into the waiting room and started to straighten things out again. He stacked the magazines again on the tables, straightened out the chairs, and put some of the scattered children's toys back into the bin where they belonged. After he got done with that he started to collect the garbages.

While he was doing this his mind couldn't help but wander back to his friends and how they were doing with their work at the EC. As much as he wanted to think that everything went fine and that everything was according to plan, another part of him couldn't help but think pessimistically about the day and that it wasn't going to work. If things didn't work out then he would have to come up with a different plan to make everything work with or without his friends' support.

A sigh escaped his lips as he tied off another garbage liner and he set it with the others. That was till he heard the shifting of the front door lock. He glanced up from behind the desk and saw the four of them returning as Himuro unlocked the door and let them in.

He stood up and watched them walk in the door before he relined the garbage. "So how was the day at the EC?" He asked them and walked from behind the desk.

Takao was the first one to respond with a smile, "Same old same old. Midorima was surprised to see me today." Kuroko nodded and didn't expect any less from Midorima. He was always the serious one. He looked at everything almost objectively, and thought of different scenarios of what could happen so he wouldn't be surprised by the results. That's probably why he was one of the calmest when he made the announcement.

Kuroko sat down at his desk chair as did everyone else. Kagami sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Geez why did I get shoved with such an asshole." He groaned and Kuroko raised his eyebrows slightly at his comment.

"Asshole?" He asked inquiring for Kagami to elaborate. Kagami leaned back in his chair. "First thing he did was accuse me of being with the doctors." He commented, "After I got that straightened out he didn't even apologize and just straight up asked why I was there. Of course I said the usual instead of your plan." He rubbed back of his neck and then sat up. "Aomine acted like a total hostile asshole and with no other conversation started, he then told me to leave. Of course I have to oblige and did, and right before I did he commented on my shoes."

"And that's a bad thing?" Kasamatsu asked and Kagami nodded.

"Of course it is he thinks The Heat is better than the Chicago Bulls." Kuroko rolled his eyes at this and Himuro laughed.

"Let me guess, you two talked about basketball then?" Himuro asked and Kagami nodded.

"Talking? I bet they bickered about it." Kuroko added.

"Hey!" Kagami protested throwing a slightly glare at Kuroko.

"Kuroko is probably right on that one." Takao commented.

"Another basketball idiot." Kasamatsu teased.

Kagami groaned, "Seriously you guys?"

"So I'm guessing after that it was a bit more of smooth sailing." Kuroko commented and he leaned on his desk.

"It did, he asked me a lot of what has happened in the past few years, and he's not half bad." Kagami replied and nodded. "He'd be a good enemy for a one on one." Everyone nearly groaned at that comment.

Takao laid on his desk, "so worth the plan for?" The question was put out there and almost immediately Kagami grinned and nodded.

"Yep, I mean he's a jerk, but he doesn't deserve that." It was a relief to hear. Kuroko looked at Takao and saw him grinning and he smiled slightly because of it. At least it went smoothly for one person.

"I can say the same thing with Murasakibara." Himuro commented turning towards everyone. "We had some nice idle chit chat and I didn't press any of his buttons, so I got a whole session in. I managed to talk about things he likes and we have in common, so I'm on the band wagon."

Kuroko was caught off guard by this and nodded, "what did the two of you talk about; there is a lot he won't talk about." He was honestly curious just due to the fact that it took a bit for Kuroko to catch onto what Murasakibara didn't like talking about, and his flippant attitude didn't help in the slightest.

"Food, and then getting into random harmless stories from childhood or school things we saw other people do, surprisingly there were quite a few stories he was willing to speak of." 

"Maybe he just trusts you," Takao suggested with a smile. "Sometimes they just get different first opinions and go off that." 

"That is definitely a possibility, maybe he trusted Himuro because he has more of a presence and shows more emotion." Kasamatsu suggested and Kuroko frowned slightly, and there were a few chuckles over the comment.

"That's mean," Kuroko said in mock hurt but did end up smiling. He was glad that Murasakibara got a full session in with someone. He was truly happy for it even if he wasn't the one who was able to do so.

"I can say that Midorima was pretty angry and surprised today, but I managed to get him talk at least a little bit before I was told to get out of the room. Knowing him though he was glad for the visit even though he's angry at both of us Kuroko." Takao said and leaned back in his own chair and he ran a hand through his dark hair. Kuroko bit his cheek for a moment and thought back to Midorima. 

"He probably feels more betrayed than anything since it does take a while to get enough trust for him to confide in you, even if it is a little bit." Takao nodded in agreement and then sat up and put his folders back in their little places on his desk.

"Yea probably, I wouldn't be surprised." Takao agreed and then looked up at Kuroko with a smile. "At least he tried now showing his emotions, though he was all over the place today." The comment was a concerning considering Midorima was quite a well grounded person.

"Is Kise usually that...fakey? He tried acting happy and bubbly even when all of his body language portrayed otherwise. It was also hard to get him to actually strip away the facade." Kasamatsu asked looking at Kuroko and then taking a sip of coffee. The way Kasamatsu described it was just about perfect to how Kise was.

"Yes he is, but if you actually find out what he likes a bit of that will actually become actual happiness. He doesn't seem to like letting others worry about him and wants them to be happy. He's more for others' well being than his own." Kasamatsu set his mug down and rolled his eyes.

"It's not good for him if he does that, as much as he thinks he is fine, what an idiot." Kasamatsu glanced at his desk where the papers from today were before he looked back at everyone. "Though it seems like everyone is on board," he commented and then stood up and started to push in his chair.

"Seems like it," Kagami agreed and a grin came to his face. "As much as I shouldn't be saying this, this will be kind of fun." Kuroko paused for a moment as if confused before he grinned too. 

"Why shouldn't you be saying it? It's going to be a hell of a time." Takao grinned and got up from his seat as well. "Let's give 'em hell."

"I hope you have a plan Kuroko," Kasamatsu commented and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair.

"If he brought it up than he should have one." Himuro reassured Kasamatsu with a smile as they all grabbed their coats and any work they needed to work on at home. 

"I should have the plan completely formed on Saturday. I have to visit the last member of group G03 and then from there I can formulate the rest of it." Kuroko replied and wrapped his scarf around his neck.

"Kagami and I are here tomorrow anyways." Kasamatsu replied and grabbed the keys. 

"Sounds like a plan," Himuro replied and opened the front door for everyone as they went to leave work. 

"Have a safe trip home you guys." Takao said to Kagami, Himuro, and Kasamatsu as the two of them headed to the same train station.

"Was Midorima-kun really that surprised to see you after everything that has happened?" Kuroko was very curious on the matter and couldn't keep the question to himself despite his ability to usually do so. Takao pulled on his cap and looked over and nodded.

"Definitely, I've never seen him any more surprised than he was to see my face after two and a half weeks of not meeting and anticipating much longer." Midorima seemed to be quite a realist after all, preparing himself for loneliness and more pain would be something that Midorima would do, but the others are probably on the same boat.

"I honestly can't wait to hear what is going to hatch from that head of yours; this whole proposition was a surprise to all of us." Takao commented and Kuroko shared a chuckle with him. 

"You guys should know me better than that by now. It doesn't fit my moral code; of course I want to do something." He replied and Takao stuffed his hand into his pocket and pulled something from it and offered it to Kuroko. "You left this puzzle dial at my house a few weeks ago; I just have forgotten to give it back till now."

Kuroko took the tube into his hand and shoved it into his own pocket, "Thank you Takao-kun." Takao smiled and adjusted his hat again.

"I figured you'd need it if you need to sneak a note to anyone." He replied casually as the train station came into view. Kuroko paused and fiddled with the puzzle in his pocket before nodding in agreement. It would seem just like a harmless little game to most people not knowing you could open it if you didn't say anything.

"Good idea," Kuroko commented and looked at his friend.

"Who, me? Never," Takao teased as they walked into the train station. "See you tomorrow Kuroko." Takao said and waved before the two of them went their separate ways.

'It's probably not going to be as easy talking to Akashi as it seems like.' The thought passed his mind as he took his phone from his pocket to check the time.

* * *

The alarm clock sprang to life with an annoying mantra of beeps. Over and over it crowed trying to wake the sleepy person in bed. The alarm clock would have done its job masterfully, if its owner was in bed. Instead of emerging from the bed the bedroom door swung open and Kuroko walked over to it and quieted it by pressing the button.

"I need to fix my sleeping habits," he muttered and looked at the red numbers on the alarm clock for a moment longer before he walked out of the bedroom and back into his kitchen where he had been sitting for the past hour and a half.

Papers were scattered on his kitchen counter with the puzzle tube in the midst of the scattered yellow and white sheets. Kuroko went back to leaning against the counter and let out a hum and looked at all the papers. He picked up a few sheets and filed them into order and set them aside in a stack. Nigou meanwhile sat in the living room, lounging on one of the couches staring at him.

His files had gotten mixed up in his bag after the rough train ride, and then the bag was torn from its perch and in turn woke Kuroko up. So he had been organizing them for the past hour and half besides his normal morning routine.

"Bad dog," he muttered to himself quietly and set another completed stack aside for a different client. He ran a hand through his damp hair and looked down at the papers and shuffled them around a bit in search of the first page for the next client folder he had in the stack. He leaned on the counter more as he found the first page and the second page not far behind. It was truly a headache.

Another half hour passed before he had most of the papers organized and only a few stragglers left. He had one person left so he picked up the rest of the papers and sorted through them quickly, a bright orange letter that was folded up fell from the stack he held in his hand. He tilted his head and set the stack down it he folder and picked up the orange letter and unfolded it.

It was a notice letter for their work, but it seemed to be photo copied due to it being off center. The letter was just describing some electrical lines needed to be worked on the blocks of their work, the block with the huge shopping mall, a few other blocks, and the block of the EC. It gave the specific dates on when they would be working on the lines. It was about time though, for the past few years they had been slowly making their way through this side of town and repairing various things with the electrical wires.

He looked at everything on the page and saw the little initials in the corner and he couldn't help but smile at it and he folded the paper back up. _'I guess it was a good thing my bag got messed up then.' _He thought to himself and he tucked the paper into a kitchen drawer to be used later. He would have to thank Kasamatsu later.

It was 25/10 today, and the work on the EC's block started in just under three weeks in November. Kuroko's stomach knotted at the thoughts of what could happen I three weeks, three weeks was a long time. A lot could happen especially since the days were ticking down to Friday. He didn't have a lot of time before he cut off ties with them completely for a good sum of a month. There was something nagging at the back of his head that so far everything was going too smoothly, and that was another terrifying aspect.

Kuroko looked at the clock and then he put his folders back into his bag before he decided to get out of his pajamas and into his work clothes for the day. '_Let's take today one step at a time and hope it goes well.' _The thought ran through his head as he walked back towards his bedroom to get dressed.

* * *

Author's Note : Long time no see! Super late update late at night and almost a year later headed your way. *crawls into corner* life has had me by the earlobes the past year with school, work, and family issues. I have college coming up soon and hopefully i can get use to that quickly so i can continue with this. Thank you for the patience! See you next update.


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